1. Field of the Art
The present invention relates to devices and methods for food contact surface sanitation and, more particularly, to such devices that are cold plasma based and methods for using same.
2. Background Art
Microbiological pathogens continuously pose a problem in the food processing industry from both a safety and a cost standpoint. When introduced onto food contact surfaces in food production systems, such as food transferring conveyors, they pose a significant safety risk to the food supply and ultimately the consumers. These microbes are not endemic to food processing plants, but are usually brought into the facilities by contaminated agricultural products or poor practices among staff and visitors. A single item containing a pathogenic microorganism can contaminate large volumes of food products by transferring those microbes to food transport surfaces, which in turn transfer the microbes to other foods. Since these surfaces are cleaned only at set intervals, or when quality control tests indicate a problem, there is a substantial risk of large batch contamination from a very small inoculant.
Food allergens can pose a similar risk to individuals with specific food sensitivities. Food allergens are generally proteinaceous and may be easily transferred from one food product to another on food transport surfaces and processing machinery. Since proteins readily adhere to surfaces, they can be difficult to eliminate and often must be denatured by heat or chemical means.
People and animals can suffer from serious illness or even death when exposed to food pathogens or allergens. Because of this, numerous regulations for testing, cleaning, and maintenance are enforced in food production facilities to help reduce or eliminate pathogens and contaminants, thereby protecting the consumer. Effective food contact surface and processing equipment sanitation is one key to a safe food supply. This process is costly, reduces plant productivity, and requires dozens of man-hours to complete, often requiring partial disassembly of complex machinery. Methods currently being used to sanitize food contact surfaces include chemical, high temperature, ultraviolet (UV) and gamma irradiation.
Recently, non-thermal or “cold” plasmas (ionized gases) have gained attention for their ability to kill a wide variety of microorganisms, including foodborne pathogens, at high log reductions (a log reduction is a reduction by a factor of a power of 10, e.g., a log 2 reduction is a reduction by a factor of 100), with short exposure times. Cold plasmas have also been shown to denature proteins, which may reduce or eliminate allergens on food contact surfaces.